Perfect timing for Mets as Carlos Delgado is swinging hot bat

Carlos Delgado is a cautious man, and he selects his words carefully. But when the conversation turns to hitting, he can't help himself. His deliberate speech accelerates, and the words can't come out quickly enough.

Of course, the topic is a pleasant one for Delgado of late. Batting .235 with a .310 on-base percentage on June 27, the first baseman blasted two home runs and drove in nine runs that day at Yankee Stadium.

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Since then, Delgado has taken off.

In July, while the Mets have ascended the NL East standings, Delgado has eight homers with an average close to .400. He added another two homers in Saturday night's 10-8, 14-inning loss to the Cardinals and now has 22 for the season.

In recent days, several newspaper articles and television commentators have attributed the turnaround to increased bat speed.

"They don't know what they're talking about," Delgado said before Saturday night's game, before pulling his hands into a phantom stance and beginning a monologue on timing.

"Obviously, something clicked," he said of his hitting. "My timing is definitely better."

He went on to explain that for the better part of two seasons, he had strayed from a habit that allowed him to recognize pitches: pulling his hands back and briefly freezing them behind his body at the beginning of a swing.

"The pitcher throws the ball," he said. "You get ready, and there's a pause when you recognize the pitch. If the ball is coming and you didn't (pull your hands back) before you take your pause, chances are you end up swinging at a pitch that is outside the zone."

Though Delgado noticed the problem last season, he was unable to correct it. "I knew what I was doing wrong," he said.

"But you're facing adversity. It's not like they're throwing the same speed out there all the time. One day you face 85, the next day you face 95, then a curveball, then a fastball in, then a fastball away. It's not like, 'Okay, I'm going to work on this now.' You're out there in fighting mode."